A. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to an apparatus for cooling avionics equipment, and in particular, to an apparatus for cooling avionics equipment by the flow of air across avionics modules housed in an avionics cabinet.
B. Description of the Related Art
Aircraft require electronics in order to control the various equipment needed to allow an aircraft to fly. Many of these electronics are housed in separate modules, whereby a plurality of modules are then fitted into one or more cabinets. The ‘modularity’ aspect of the modules allows for one defective module to be replaced independent of the other modules in the same cabinet.
Avionics modules, like other electronics modules, need to be cooled in order to prevent components within those modules from being overheated. Typically, avionics modules are cooled by the flow of cool air across the modules, in a convection type cooling system. In particular, an avionics electronics equipment cabinet and module requires ducting for forcing air over or nearby high power electronic components, in order to remove thermal energy from those components.
For conventional avionics electronics equipment cabinets, the need to include space for air ducts increases the size of those cabinets, thereby increasing the room required to house such cabinets.
It is desirable to reduce the size of air-cooled avionics electronics equipment cabinets, while maintaining the same or achieving better thermal energy removal characteristics for modules housed within the cabinets.